Celebrating Lunar New Year at Chaminade: A Global Community in Unity

Mark Laury, Ministry Lead of Marianist Encounters at Chaminade College Preparatory, St. Louis, MO, sends us this update.

In late January, Chaminade College Prep celebrated the Lunar New Year with our school community and the extended Asian community. This event was an exciting opportunity to come together in family spirit as we acknowledged the beginning of a new lunar cycle for many of our resident students who would not be at home with their family and friends.  Chaminade is fortunate to have a diverse resident program that brings together students from all over the world. Our students hail from countries such as Ukraine, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Thailand, China, Kenya, Finland, Vietnam, Canada, Spain, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, the Bahamas, Nigeria, and the Netherlands. Nearly half of our resident students are of Asian descent, contributing significantly to the cultural richness of our school.

We were thrilled to partner with the St. Louis Modern Chinese School, which provided an authentic and insightful perspective on this significant celebration. With their guidance, we were able to immerse ourselves in the traditions and customs that make Lunar New Year a cherished occasion for many of our own students.

The evening was filled with exciting activities that engaged students and visitors alike. Our day students, along with numerous visitors, were treated to a vibrant display of dance, song, games, crafts, and, of course, delicious food. The traditional and modern dances and songs performed during the event were so skillful and beautiful to watch.  The craft stations allowed everyone to try their hand at creating festive masks, fans, and calligraphy.  Many lucky attendees were given a red lucky envelope with a small gift of money inside.  The evening ended with an incredible fireworks show that delighted all of the visitors.  The scale and length of the show were certainly the highlights of the evening. 

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